Hand of a Brother
by Tightropes to the Sun
Summary: Sequel to TITG/ One by one Donatello tells his brothers of the horrific future that is destined to fall upon them but with a few assuring words they remind him what it truly means to be brothers. Brotherly Fluff!
1. Leonardo

/Leonardo/

Water dripped from the surface from the rain from the previous night into the lair with a silent 'plop.' All the house was quiet, not a creature, rat or turtle alike, stirred among the make shift home.

It was way past midnight, the moon and stars shinning brightly in the black sky, however two children, one wearing a purple bandanna, the other sporting a blue, sat huddled together in the corner of their room. The elder comforting the other with pats on the shell or whispers of kind words.

Donatello had never been one to cry, not even when he was young and his brothers knocked him down. He always got up, brushed his shell off and continued on his marry way. He knew his brothers were only playing and not once did he shead a tear.

But as he stayed huddled against his eldest brother, he couldnt help but allow the salty tears to run down his face. He'd always been senstive but since he returned home Donnie's emotions were all over the place.

"Its ok, Don, I'm not going to let anything happen to you. "

No Leo wasnt going to let anything happen the olive green turtle, it was the other way around. He was going to be the destruction of his family; and the reason for his brother's blindness.

Donatello shook his head and barried his head deeper into his brother's chest. How could he even think about telling his older brother? What would he think? Leo was overprotective and strong minded. When it came to his family he usually struck first and asked questions later. He was a lot like Raph in that way.

"I'm not the one you should be worry about Leo." He whispered, hoping the blue turtle didn't hear him.

Donnie felt the arms tighten around his shelly. "What are you talking about Don, why wouldn't I worry about you?" He asked, worry in his deep brass voice.  
"I said you didn't need to!"

"But why, Don, I cant help if you dont tell me."

Very quietly he answered, sounding scared and childlike. " I dont want your help.."

Donatello could almost picture the firm frown plastered on Leo's lips and the worry lines on either side of his eyes and forehead. His brother was nothing but predictable.  
The genius watched as the blue turtled pulled away, swipping his finger along the corner of his eye and cheek. "You dont want my help?" He asked. Leo sounded so hurt. But what could he do? There was a reason he kept his trip a secret.

Donnie didn't know what to do. On one hand he could come out and tell Leo what had happened to him but that meant having his older brother watch his ever move and asking if he was alright ever few seconds, on the other he could say it was just the nightmare that just shook him. Which would have the same end result.

He took a deep breath and looked down at his shaking hands. He needed to do something. The nightmares were keeping him away from time in his lab and that was the one thing he couldnt or wouldnt stand for.

Don knew his brother would be pacient and wait for him to talk. The only problem was actually opening up and sharing his issues with Leo.

It wasn't that he didnt trust his eldest brother, he did with his life, it was that he didnt want Leo to stop trusting him. He was afraid was his family found out how he'd abandoned them, they would shut him out. And that was the last thing he wanted.

The purple turtle drew his legs to his chest and met his older brother's worried gaze. " Do you remember with Draco sent on our trips?"

It was hard for Don to forget about. Were his brother enjoyed their experience, his had taken a huge part of his life from him. It was something he would never be able to forget. No matter how hard he tried.

"I do. Is this what your nightmares are about?" Leo asked, drawing his brother closer in their embrace.

Donnie nodded slowly, tracing the pattern of his brother's skin with his finger. "I wen't to the future. It was horrible Leo, I never thought the world could turn out the way it did. New York.. our home.. wasn't there anyone. It was replaced with a town filled of fear and death. The Shredder took over everything, destroying anything in his path. " he mumbled, his voice shaking.

Leonardo held his brother close and listened closely, rubbing his younger brother's shell when he needed to.

"The worst part was finding out that our family had falling apart. We weren't a family anymore. "

"What do you mean.."

Donnie barried his head in Leo's shoulder again, frowning. " We broke apart Leo. I met Mikey, thirty years older and with battle wounds. He wasn't even our Mikey anymore.

He was cut off, hot headed and down right depressing. It was like someone had taken anything good about him and ripped it away. He doesn't even have his left arm... " He paused as a hiccup passed through his chest.

"He told me that I had been gone for thirty years. No one knew what had happened to me or why I had left. Mike thought someone had killed me. He said I just disappeared one day and that he and the other's spent months searching for me. Splinter believed that I would return one day, no one seemed to belive him. "

Donatello swallowed and closed his eyes tightly as he continued. "He took me through small parts of New York until we came to the park. I thought he was taking me to see Master Splinter and he was in a way.. "he frowned. Leo squeezed his hand and couraged him to move on.

"The Shredder had found our lair and Master Splinter...g-gave.. his life to protect the three of you. "

He heard the older turtle suck in a breath and felt his hands curl up on his shell.

A moment of silence passed between the brothers. Don knew how much Master Splinter meant to Leo, how deeply he cared for the old rat and it must have been hard to hear such a thing from his younger brother.

Leo only wrapped his arms around Donny's shoulders and held him closer." I'm sorry you had to go through that alone Don. When you returned you were all clingy and we couldn't understand it, we misjudged you, brother, and for that I am sorry. "

Don allowed a smile to spread over his lips. "Its alright. " he whispered.

If Leo reacted this calmly to the loss of Master Splinter how was he going to take the loss of his brothers? Don was afraid to find out. He took a few moments to collect his thoughts and began were he left off.

"Mike told me how you and Raph were always fighting. He blamed you for the death of Splinter and it lead the both of you on a fighting streak. When I met the two of you, you were different..Raph lost one of his eyes and you were completely blind. Mikey managed to get the two of you together without killing one another and we came up with a plan to take down Shredder with the help of April, Caesy was long gone by this point...

"Getting in was easy, it was fighting Shredders guards that proved to be more difficult. He had created robots that looked and fought just like Karai. I built a battle suit that would easily take him down. I knew we could do it just like before. No matter how difficult he became to beat. "

Donny sighed and shook his head, bowing his head as the tears begun to flow. "Mikey... was the first to go.. Karai killed you while your back was turned and then struck Raph down as he was taking revenge for your death..Because of my stupid plan you all died.." he finished quietly, his voice quivering.

Leo had fallen quiet some time during Don explaining his long fight with Raph and the final battle with the Shredder. He pushed away from his younger brother, breaking Don's heart. Had he finally pushed his older brother away?

The blue turtle had done something Donnie hadn't expected.

He took his brother's cheeks in both hands and looked into his eyes, Leo's were narrowed and dazed with unshed tears. "You listen to me now Donatello, it was not your fault we died. We went in fighting like brothers and we died like brothers. You defeated the Shredder Don. None of what happened was your fault. "He pushed his forehead into his brothers and sighed softly.

It took a while but Leonardo finally got his younger brother to fall back asleep. Don was comfortable and content laying on his side wrapped in his brother's embrace, listening as he heard the words that made the possible future seem more like a dream;

"No matter what happens or where you go brother, I will never stop searching for you."


	2. Raphael

This one shot is based off the 2007 TMNT movie. I knew Raph can seem like a huge hot head and he has a hard time holding his temper but he's always there for his sibling. I believe that even if he was mad at Master Splinter and Donny, he would still be there for his little brother if it came down to it. Away we go!

Thank you to the people who pointed out my mistakes! I went back and fixed them, hopefully. T.T Another big thanks for reading :D

* * *

/Raphael/

Donatello was at the end of his rope. He didn't know how else to describe it. His emotions were unstable, he easily snapped at his younger brother over stupid things or back talking to his Master when he was told he wasn't working hard enough. Splinter didn't know a thing! He was the only one trying to keep his family together. He wouldn't let them break apart, especially not after...

_Don't even go down that road Don, you're going to bring yourself into a funk_. He said this line multiply times in his head over the course the year and a half his older brother was gone. It seemed to be the only thing keeping him sane.

Truth be told, Donnie didn't know what to do anymore. If he wasn't keeping up with Master Splinter and his illness, he was trying to keep the smile of Mikey's face or keep his hot headed brother out of trouble. How much could one turtle handle? He was sure to lose his mind if this game continued but he didn't another choice.

Weather he'd admit it or not, he was jealous of his older brother. Every night he seemed to disappear. He would enjoy the fresh air as the Night Watcher; Raph seemed to think Don was stupid and wouldn't find out what he'd been doing all night. It wasn't difficult to figure out when the red bandanna turtle would come home dead on his feet and wounds over half his body.

Donatello missed the rush of running over the roof tops. He would give anything to be out on the New York streets again with his brothers. But those days are over. He knew it too. He's been telling Mikey that for months. Not because he wanted to bring his younger brother down but because he had a strong feeling their brother wasn't coming home.

Who could blame him?

Leo had always been the type of person to grab the bull by the horns and never let go, no matter how much it bucked. He had proved that over and over again with his training. It didn't really surprise Don that Leo had stayed back. His older brother craved adventure, his mind often got lost in his responsibilities.

But no matter what his eldest brother always came through for them. He was always there to cheer Mikey up or calm Raph down; he even helped Donny on a few occasions. Now he wasn't there to burn out Raph's temper or bring the smile to Mikey's face. He hadn't been there when Master Splinter had fallen ill. He didn't even bother to write to see how his family was doing.

What made things worse was the Raph blamed him for everything that went wrong. His older brother was always two steps ahead of him, throwing comments in his face about how badly he was failing.

Don didn't mind.

He knew Raph's anger wasn't towards him but his older brother Leonardo. It didn't mean that it didn't hurt. The small amount of closeness he felt towards his older brother was gone. It disappeared the same day Leo did. Sure they'd never been close but Raphael could always come and talk to him. Now he just glared and knocked him over whenever given the chance.

He missed his family.

His best friend no longer smiled. Mikey was the one turtle in their house hold that was able to make anyone smile now he didn't give a shell. No matter how annoying his younger brother was, Don could always count on him to bring his mood up. Now Mike seemed depressed…distant and dark. Shortly after Leo's disappearing act, Master Splinter had fallen ill. If they hadn't went on a raid days before, Donnie was sure their father wouldn't have made it. He didn't know how long his family would be able to survive if Master Splinter was gone.

Raph was a completely different story. He was unreachable. His older brother had shut himself off from Don and Mikey only days after Leo left. He only became angrier and shut off. Don remembered how easily it was to calm Raph down now if he even tried to help him, he'd be the one on the lab with an IV in his arm. He hadn't given up on his brother. He would never give up on him. But.. Donny felt lost. He needed his older brother more than he could admit.

However Donatello was getting sick of Raph and the way he treated Mikey. He could handle the red turtle knocking him around but he would not stand for him picking on Mikey. And today was the perfect excuse to beat the living shell out of him. Well.. at least try.

"Hey genius, what you working on?" Raph asked, taking a seat in front of Don, his dark eyes dangerous.

"I was working on something for the battle shell. It should-"

"Nice to see you aren't working on anything. I need your help with something. "Raph spoke quietly; afraid of the others hearing him. He held out his arm to show his younger brother.

His older brother had a wound the size of his fist on his arm. Dry blood had already started to from around the outside, which told Don that his daring, egg head of a brother, hadn't just received this wound.

Donnie really wished he had it in him to tell Raph off but he knew better than that. His brother would only get more upset. Still it didn't mean he couldn't kick Raph's shell if he really wanted.

"Why do you keep hurting yourself.." Don muttered, wheeling over to grab the needle, thread and gauze, he knew he would need to use later on. "I mean, like seriously how hard is it keep yourself safe Raphael?"

" You really think using my real name is going to change anything Donatello?"

"No. I was just-"

"Just trying to act like Leo! Stop being like Leonardo, you aren't Leo Don and you never will be. "

Donnie fell silent after that. He cleaned his brother's wound and disappeared out of the lab into his room.

Was he really acting like Leo? That wasn't the first time his older brother had told that to him. He wasn't trying to be his brother, far from it. He just wanted to keep his family together and he was failing.

Would they ever be whole again?

* * *

Days passed without a word from Raph. In a way Don was grateful. Now at least he wouldn't feel guilty every time he was around his brother. But he was starting to worry. It was in his nature to worry about his brothers. No matter how big of meanies they were.

"Come on Raph! Stop it!"

Donatello glanced up from his computer, his deep brown eyes filling with concern. That sound was never good. He grabbed his bo from the corner of his desk and made is way out in to the den.

The room was quiet except for the small sounds coming from the TVs in the living room; however neither of his brothers were around. If this as a joke he was going to kill them both.

He continued over to the training hall, bo-staff steady in his hands.

When Donnie walked into Raph pinning his younger brother to the matts, using whatever strength he had to hit the younger turtle, he lost it. He didn't bother to be quietly just like his master had taught him as he knocked his older brother off Mikey with a hard whack of his bo-staff. He helped Mike up, urging him to leave the rom.

"Get out of here Mike. This is between me and him. Right?"

"Sure genius, see if you can keep up."

For every attack Raph threw at him Don blocked and countered. His older brother always allowed his anger to cloud his judgment whenever he threw an attack. It had worked for him over the years when he trained with Leo but at the moment he wasn't fighting Leo, he was fighting a very pissed off Donatello.

Don always found an opening and would strike back with such force that it left his older brother stunned and slow to react. He seized his moment and kicked Raph back a few feet, using the tip of his bo-staff to pin him down to the matt.

"Donnie." Raph muttered, glaring up at him, "Could you get off me."

"No Raph! Ever since Leo left you've been a huge pain in the shell. I don't give a shell if you pick on me but I swear if you attack Mikey one more time and I'll make sure you never remember how to be angry."

Raph fell silent and looked up his younger brother. He'd never known his younger brother to lose his cool but he was leaning over him with a strong grip on his weapon and tears starting to form in his eyes.

"Look I'm sorry genius, you don't need to go and cry about it."

Don glared down at his older brother, watching as he stood. For good measures, he swung his bo-staff, knocking Raph off his feet again and disappeared out of the room, dragging Mikey with him.

* * *

It took all the strength Raphael had in him to go and find his younger brother hours later. He knew Don was upset. And maybe he'd been a little hard on him but that didn't mean he had to go knocking him around. He'd planned to teach his genius brother a lesson when he found him huddled on his bed with his head in his knees.

He slowly walked over to his younger brother and wrapped his arms around his shell, holding him comfortably in his embrace. "What's wrong Don?" He asked a few moments later.

Raph watched as the purple turtle drew his legs to his chest and met his older brother's worried gaze. "Do you remember with Draco sent on our trips?" It was hard for Don to forget about. Were his brother enjoyed their experience; his had taken a huge part of his life from him. It was something he would never be able to forget. No matter how hard he tried.

He nodded and waited for Don to continue.

"I went to the future. It was horrible, I never thought the world could turn out the way it did. New York... our home... Wasn't there anyone. It was replaced with a town filled of fear and death. The Shredder took over everything, destroying anything in his path. "he mumbled, his voice shaking.

Raph frowned slightly and pulled his brother closer, ignoring the hateful feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"The worst part was finding out that our family had falling apart. We weren't a family anymore. "

"What do you mean.."

Donny frowned. "We broke apart Raph. I met Mikey, thirty years older and with battle wounds. He wasn't even our Mikey anymore.

He was cut off, hot headed and downright depressing. It was like someone had taken anything good about him and ripped it away. He doesn't even have his left arm... "He paused as a hiccup passed through his chest.

"He told me that I had been gone for thirty years. No one knew what had happened to me or why I had left. Mike thought someone had killed me. He said I just disappeared one day and that he and the other's spent months searching for me. Splinter believed that I would return one day, no one seemed to believe him. "

Donatello swallowed and closed his eyes tightly as he continued. "He took me through small parts of New York until we came to the park. I thought he was taking me to see Master Splinter and he was in a way.. "

Raph's hands clenched into fists as he tried to level his breathing.

"The Shredder had found our lair and Master Splinter...g-gave… his life to protect the three of you. "

The red turtle had known how badly the trip had wounded his younger brother but he never talked about it. He seemed fine when he came home hours later but they'd all been stupid to ingore how much pain their genius was.

"Mike told me how you and Leo were always fighting. You blamed him for the death of Splinter and it led the both of you on a fighting streak. When I met the two of you, you were different. You lost one of his eyes and Leo was completely blind. Mikey managed to get the two of you together without killing one another and we came up with a plan to take down Shredder with the help of April, Caesy was long gone by this point...

"Getting in was easy, it was fighting Shredders guards that proved to be more difficult. He had created robots that looked and fought just like Karai. I built a battle suit that would easily take him down. I knew we could do it just like before. No matter how difficult he became to beat. "

Donnie sighed and shook his head, bowing his head as the tears begun to flow. "Mikey... was the first to go... Karai killed Leo while your back was turned and then struck you down as you were taking revenge for Leo's death. Because of my stupid plan you all died..." he finished quietly, his voice quivering.

Raph couldn't believe what his younger brother had told him about the future. He didn't know how badly things would turn out if all of their family wasn't together. He sighed softly, "Don you know I'm not good at all this emotional crap but I can at least try. It's not your fault that we all died Donny; the important thing is that we took out the Shedd head together, as family. No matter what that will never change. We will always be brothers."

Don smiled lightly and nodded. "I know.. thanks Raphy. I'm sorry about earlier."

"Don't sweat it bro but I swear if you threaten me again, I'll stick your head into the sewer and leave you there."

Donatello rested easier that night knowing his older brother would always be there. He knew even if Leonardo never came back and Splinter would leave them, they would still be a family and surprisingly, he was ok with that.


	3. Michelangelo

**A/N: I'm sad to say that this is the last chapter for Hand of a Brother. I must say I really like this chapter. Mikey and Donnie has a very close relationship and I believe it would be hard for Don to keep things from Mike. No matter how hard he tried. I've tired to limit the spelling mistakes and errors in this chapter, its a lot easier with a word Microsoft program, hopefully my wish came true. There actually is such thing as Free Comic Book Day. I haven't been but I'm going to try next year.**

**Disclaimer: Anything you may recongize from this chapter and the previous two do not belong to me. If it did we would have alot more brother action between the turtles.**

**This is a late b-day gift for my twin sister. We grew up on turtles and Donnie and Mikey were always our favourites characters. Happy 17th!**

* * *

/ Michelangelo/

One of the only things that seemed to put Donatello's mind at ease was his younger brother's birthday. It was the one day of the year that he could actually step up and be an older brother to Mikey.

Usually he was the young turtle's best friend. Getting into trouble with the pranks they played or sparring together when a more serious tone called for it. Don hardly got to be the older brother to Michelangelo. On rare occasion he would comfort his little brother out of a nightmare or assure him that, no matter what, Leo and Raph loved one another. He was always right beside his best friend playing jokes or making inventions.

It was nice to just be the older brother for a change.

Donnie knew just what to do for Mikey's birthday. Every year it was getting more difficult to surprise the orange turtle, he always seemed to be two steps ahead of them and somehow always found out what they had planned but not today. Don was not going to let Mike find out what he had planned, no matter how annoying he was getting.

"Come on Don, please tell me!" Mikey's voice squeaked with excitement, his brown eyes glowing with anticipation. "Please!"

Don rolled his eyes and knocked his younger brother on top of the head gently, "No. You'll have to wait and see. "

The orange headband turtle let out a snort and crossed his arms over his chest. Donnie knew what was coming; Mikey would stick out his bottom lip and make puppy dogs at him until he game in.

However he was for him this time.

Don tossed a rag towards his best friend and gave a smirk. "Make yourself useful goofball. "He teased as he disappeared back into his lap.

"So not cool, Donnie."

"Its not meant to be cool, Mike." He answered from his den, laughing softly.

Donatello had a hard time figuring out what to do for Mikey's birthday. He'd almost given up when he came across an article in the newspaper.

Free Comic Book Day! One Day Only!

It was prefect. Don knew how much Mikey loved comics and this would be the prefect way to show his younger brother how much he cared.

Of course it wasn't an easy task to keep the event under wraps. Donatello ended up faking a power outage. It would drive him nuts for the next three days but his brother was worth it.

Anything to keep that smile on Mikey's face was worth it.

**3 Days Later**

The three brothers had gotten up earlier than usual, placing water balloons over the head of the younger turtle. They'd set up multiply surprises for Mikey through out the day. A small way to get pay back for the pranks the orange turtle pulled on a daily basis.

Donnie didn't really care for pranking Mikey, considering he's always helped his brother, but it was tradition and his family was predictable. They did the same tricks each year. No matter how old the brothers got, the others always did the same routine.

In a way he was grateful, it told Donnie that no matter what his family was still strong.

It didn't surprise them when Mikey came down the stairs completely dry with a wide grin on his face. His bandanna was hanging loosely around his neck; his brown eyes glowed with wonder. The younger turtle always seemed to miss everything the older three threw at him. He was impossible to prank but Donnie knew the prefect way to fix that.

His best friend seemed to miss the string at the end of the stairs and hadn't expected the bucket of water and feathers to topple over on to him. He was covered in head to toe in feathers. He looked more like a chicken than a fifteen year old turtle.

"Happy birthday Mikey!"

Pushing the feathers away from his eyes, Mikey smirked and walked towards the group of his brothers, his arms stretched out wide. "Come on guys, doesn't the birthday boy get a hug?" he asked, his voice light and carefree.

"Don't you dare knuckle brain!"

"I don't think that's a good idea Mikey..."

"Haha! We so got you!"

Don turned to look over at Mikey, his head crocking to the side. "What?" It was unusual for Donnie to come and say something like that. They must have expected him to come and say something scientific.

"Who are you and what have you done with my brother?" Mikey asked, narrowing his eyes. He walked up to Donnie and poked him between the eyes, his brown eyes watery. "Did you eat him?"

"Very funny Mikey." Don muttered, wrapping his arm around his brother's shoulder in a one armed hug. Seeing as he didn't want to be covered in feathers for the next week and half.

Donatello helped Mikey clean up while their brothers went to get Master Splinter up and down stairs. Their master was getting old and very sick. Don didn't know how long their father had left. If they were to have a storm he was sure Splinter wouldn't last long. They didn't have many materials inside the den and it would be difficult to go and search. He could only pray that Splinter was strong enough.

Moments later the family was all downstairs gathered around the table while they had pizza and gave their gifts to Michelangelo.

Master Splinter laid his frail hand on top of his son's head, "Happy Birthday Michelangelo. " he smiled. The old rat handed the turtle a new pair of dual nunchakus. His older pair had been damaged with the last sparring session he had with Leonardo and it gave Splinter an excuse to go to the surface.

Mikey smiled "Thank you Sensei, "he bowed and then sat between his brothers.

Raphael presented Mikey with a new sketch pad; Leo had chipped in and put together a homemade art set and a drawing book he had found in the junk yard with Donnie days earlier.

Donnie could see how happy his younger brother was getting. The smile on his face looked as if it was glued on and the glow in his eyes seemed to brighten with every passing hour. He couldn't wait to take Mike up top to give him his gift. He had spent the last three days making sure everything was in order for when they did go up. Getting permission from Master Splinter was the easiest part of the whole ordeal. Keeping his brothers out of the loop was a much harder task.

But he somehow managed to do so for the last three days.

"We'd figured you wanted to continue that comic book you were working on. " Leo explained, wrapping his arm around his younger brother in a hug. Raph simply nodded with a small smile.

Michelangelo smiled widely and thanked his family. His excitement was larger than normal. He really didn't care about the gifts, not much. He just enjoyed having his family together. Especially when Raph and Leo weren't trying to kill one another.

The rest of the evening was spent re-telling stories about the past, watching cartoons on their TVs or eating pizza and cake. Mikey did, however, notice how Donnie, his best friend, hadn't given him anything. He wasn't trying to be shellfish. Far from it. It was just something the two brothers did every year. He wondered if Don had just simply forgot or had been too busy to get him anything.

But Donnie hadn't forgotten. He was just saving Mikey's present for later when the time was right, which be any time soon.

"Mikey, will you come and help me with something?" He asked his brother an hour later.

Mikey nodded and stood, swaying slightly as he stood. Donnie expected his goofball brother had finally come down from his sugar rush. "Where we going?" He mumbled.

"It's a surprise."

"Cool... I like surprises. "

Donnie laughed and grasped his brother's wrist and tugged him along through the den and out to the sewers. They were quiet for most of the trip, Mikey's breaths were even and steady, which left no room for Don to worry that the cold weather would affect his younger brother's breathing.

It didn't take them long to get up to the surface. Donatello could tell that his best friend was becoming confused. Don usually never went up to the busy New York streets unless he really needed to, making this trip so much better.

"Uh Don, where are we going?" Mike asked in an innocent tone.

Donnie smirked and answered. "You'll see."

The two turtles stayed close together in the shadows as they made their way through the streets. Half way to the comic book store, Don turned to Mikey and handed in a trench coat and a hat. His brother looked at him strangely but shoved the clothing on anyway. Now covered up, the older turtle led his brother out of the alley toward the Comic Book store.

Just before walking in, Donnie turned to his best friend and smiled lightly. "I know your always complaining that you don't have enough comics. Today is free comic book day, Mikey, which means you, can take as many comics as you want, for free. "He finished with a huff. "Happy Birthday. "

Michelangelo was at a loss for words. He stared at his brother for a moment before turning his eyes up towards the store. "Donnie... this... is great!" He squealed, hugging his brother tightly. "Thank you, thank you, and thank you!"

The next few hours were spent picking out the perfect comics for Mikey's collection. The two brothers even found a book or two for Donnie. But there was one comic that sent a tremble down the purple turtle's spine.

The book was about a pair of brothers that traveled to the future, only to find out how wrong and dark their life to come was going to get. By the end of the comic only one of the brothers went home.

Don couldn't help but think of his adventure into the future. Two of his brothers knew what he had been through; he had told him out of spite. He didn't want to feel alone while he was around them. It had helped him a little but the worst part his travel he hadn't shared. Mikey's destruction had been all his fault and he would never forgive himself for that.

He hadn't even told his best friend. He couldn't. Mikey's childish nature would break him if Donnie would have told him. He wouldn't do that to his brother. Not after what he was going to cause in the future.

"What you think of the comic, Don?" Mike asked, looking at his brother over the Captain America one rested in his hands.

"It... was ok..." Don answered quickly.

"Hey, you ok Donnie?"

Donnie swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to hide his shaking hands in the pockets of the coat.

Mikey set the comic back in the bag and took his brother's hands in his, his brown eyes concerned. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Don went to shake his head but Mikey stopped him. "Don't tell me nothing is wrong. You don't just get shakes for reason Donatello. "He muttered

"It's nothing Mikey..."

Michelangelo pulled his brother out of the store out into the alley, his eyes hard and filled with worry. "Is this about the future Draco sent you on?" He asked, looking into Don's eyes.

Donnie froze. He knew? How was that possible? He had done every possible thing to make sure Mikey hadn't found out. He slumped down against the wall and frowned softly. Today was supposed to be about Mikey's birthday, not the horrible future he was going to cause.

He sighed quietly and ran his hand over the top of his head, "How did you find out?" he asked quietly, swallowing.

It took a moment but Mikey finally joined his brother, his hand resting on his knee. "Leo told me. I mean it wasn't hard to figure out that you were upset. You were up half the night or you didn't sleep at all. When you wouldn't tell me what was going on I went looking for answers.

"I don't understand why you just wouldn't tell me what was going on Donnie. Your my best friend and you can't even share something that with me?" he shook his head, "I'm not going to judge you or anything Don. "

Donnie didn't know how to answer. He could see that not telling his brother was only hurting him more but he couldn't. He was glad Leo had told Mike about his adventure because Don didn't have the strength to look into his best friend's eyes and tell him he was the reason for his family's destruction.

"Donnie, I don't care what happens in the future. At least not right now. "Mikey paused to look into his brother's eyes, "The important thing right now is that all of us are together. Whatever happens in the future can be changed but being brothers is something that we can't change. "

"You don't care that I ruin your life..?"

Mikey shook his head and smiled at his brother. "We all have to grow up sooner or later. Besides you could never ruin my life Donatello. "He reassured him.

Donnie returned the smile and leaned against his brother for support. He may not always get to be the older brother but he would never stop being Michelangelo's best friend.

**Fin**

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**A/N: Stay tuned for a fic about Donnie and Splinter! **

**A Father's Love is coming to an inbox near you soon. **


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